Former UA OL Kareem McNeal Reflects on National Title No. 17 [Audio]

Saturday’s national championship parade in Tuscaloosa provided the opportunity for fans to participate in the reflection of a championship season as well as a look ahead to the continuation of an historic run under Nick Saban.

Although two weeks have passed since the comeback win over Georgia, the memories of the game including Tua Tagovailoa’s game-winning touchdown passes will go down among the top moments in Alabama football history.

Two days following the national championship celebration, former Alabama offensive lineman Kareem McNeal reflected on the 2017 championship season on The Gary Harris Show.

McNeal played under Gene Stallings from 1992-1995 and was a part of the 1992 national championship team. The Tuskegee native was an integral part of the offensive line before having his career end due to a severe car accident.

Looking back at the 2017 season, the former Alabama offensive lineman believes that the season was Nick Saban’s best coaching job since arriving in Tuscaloosa.

“I would absolutely have to say so because dealing with the number of injuries that they dealt with and especially in the linebacker position, which is so key for that defense, is absolutely extraordinary.” McNeal said.

Prior to the season, Alabama and Florida State were ranked among the top teams in the country. As injuries affected both teams, McNeal described how the injuries affected both teams and how one key factor helped Alabama in a tremendous way.

“You saw what happened to Florida State early in the year when they lost one guy. Alabama lost several guys and they continued to move forward and this year more than any year at Alabama, I think you see the importance of depth at any given position which Saban has done a really good job at building at Alabama.” McNeal said.

The former Crimson Tide offensive lineman also analyzed the dynamics at quarterback involving Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts and the ingredients to Saban’s success in Tuscaloosa.

Catch The Gary Harris Show every weekday from 9-11 AM on Tide 102.9/100.9 and the Tide 102.9 app.